Foreign Notes

410THE AMERICAN GOLFER BY OUR BRITISH CORRESPONDENT ONDON August 12, 1916 ONE OF THE MOST interesting pic- is Jack "in his habit as he lived," and tures at the summer exhibition of the it is Jack just as he was in perhaps Royal Academy, which, as everyone the last fully happy hours that he had in the United States may not know, when, on his brief period of leave a is the historic and chief picture show few weeks before he was killed, he of the year so far as Great Britain is played his last games at Hoylakes. It concerned, is a portrait of the late is a fine picture both as a work of art Captain John Graham, which is hung and as a piece of character painting; in the middle of one of the walls in it is really Jack. His fine simplicity, Gallery V and is numbered 509. his happy gentleness, rest upon his Golfers in hundreds have been to see features. Modesty and sympathy as it, because it is a fine picture of a they made his greatness are there. golfer, the first of a famous player Those who say that we all loved Jack, that has ever been given a place in the as indeed we did, realize the truth of Royal Academy, and because it repre- the remark when they look upon the sents one of the great sacrifices of features as they are shown on this this game for the cause that we have canvas at Burlington House. I be- at heart, a player who was deeply lieve the picture has been specially loved by the whole community and of painted to be hung in the clubhouse whom everyone who knew him had of the Royal Liverpool Golf Club at something good to say, and no one Hoylake. To these notes I attach a the least that was ever bad or unkind. small photograph of it that has been In every respect this portrait of "The kindly supplied to me by the relatives late Captain John Graham, jun., of the great player whose loss we Liverpool Scottish," is excellent, but mourn, but in whose life and death though the artist, Mr. Robert E. Mor- the old game has a special glory for rison of Liverpool, indicates the sol- itself. No two golfers have ever lived dier and the sacrifice in the title, who were so much the favourites of which is enough, and as it was right the people as Fred Tait and Jack and necessary he should do, he gives Graham, and it is a sad but splendid dear old Jack to us not in his kilts coincidence that they both gave their and with a sword in hand, but as we lives fighting for their country. knew him best and admired him, as a golfer on the links. Here he is in HAVE I mentioned to you before his old grey jacket with his driver that Lord Kitchener, the tragedy of above his shoulder as at the finish of whose death appalled the world, was his swing. As we would put it, this something of a golfer? It is a fact 412THE AMERICAN GOLFER that was not generally known except when they had no feminine ties to dis- to the intimates of the dead Field- tract them, and one who was accus- Marshal, and is one of those inter- tomed to get his own way and con- esting personal sidelights on the life quer and that with few hindrances, of this man of great achievement and being worried and baffled by this some mystery that one is entitled to queer old game of ours. Yet so it "The late CAPTAIN JOHN GRAHAM, JR., Liverpool-Scottish." A fine portrait of the famous British player, killed in the war, which is exhibited at the Exhibition of the Royal Academy, London, this summer. mention now. It is curious to think was. There were few things in life of this strange cold silent man, of the that ever got the better of Kitchener, most tremendous determination, a but this was one of them. He fought "woman-hater" as he was popularly with it very hard, he gave to it severe supposed to be and certainly one who effort and concentration, but though believed that men did their best work he remained a player and one whom 414THE AMERICAN GOLFER the game fascinated considerably at did Sayers remark that Lord Kitch- times, he made precious little progress ener give indication in his very first with it. Yet he held some honours in round of "interesting possibilities in connection with it, being for one thing the long game." Two or three days an Honorary Member of the Royal St. later he was declaring that his long George's Golf Club at Sandwich, a game was by far the best, and after- distinction awarded to only three wards he said that "at the third at- other persons and those of much re- tempt over a private course" he aston- nown, another one being Lord Cur- ished me by his steadiness and zon, late Viceroy of India. I believe straightness in driving. He played he made his first real beginning at the some excellent shots with a Dread- game in Egypt about a dozen years nought driver. In the short game I ago, but did not get very far on that had only once to tell him how to occasion. People who used to go stand. There was never any occa- there at that time and went out for a sion to direct him a second time. Hav- little golf on the course at Cairo and ing got a style so naturally for the were appealed to by the caddies to short game I confidently expect he become their employers for the day, will improve. He has every appear- used to be told very often "Me plenty ance of thoroughly enjoying the fine caddie boy, sah! Me caddie for game." These were guarded and sub- Lord Kitchener!" As often as not tle compliments indeed! So on he this was, of course, a lie, but it showed went, and we hear of him one day quite clearly that Kitchener had spending the whole of an afternoon on knocked a ball about some time or the private course at Archerfield, other. He really made up his mind practising driving and having three that he could not remain in such a balls out with him which he drove complete state of golfing ignorance continually from the same place. He about six years ago when he was stay- was very persevering, as it seemed, ing one summer season at North Ber- and as one would expect of him. But, wick. He engaged George Sayers as as we know, great Kitchener had his tutor, this George having taught other things to do than play golf, and various kings and princes how to those other things he did magnifi- shape their stances and how best to cently. make the backward and all other swings. Although Sayers was very THE FOLLOWING comments in an tactful he soon came to the conclusion important London journal upon the that there were no championships in success of very young players in store for his distinguished patron, America, and the moral to be drawn and he became occupied in the diffi- therefrom, may be read with interest cult task of choosing the right words by golfers in the United States: in which to describe his progress. He ". .A difference in temperament may declared semi-officially that in the have something to do with it, and I am cer- tain that the more thorough and methodical matter of style in approaching and way in which the very young players in putting, "one might think that Lord that country are trained and train them- Kitchener had been playing for some selves has much more. The young players, time." For careful statement that directly they find they have any aptitude was surely at least a thought or two for the game at all, take it far more seri- ously and thoroughly than do those in our better than par. Then most admirably own country, who are so very haphazard, 416 THE AMERICAN GOLFER as it were, and they are encouraged much ambition also—a man who has been more by the junior championships, school- qualifying for second and third "flights," boy championships, and so forth. The as they call them, striving continu- Americans may be wrong in encouraging ally to get into the first. It also con- such enthusiasm and extreme thoroughness stitutes a very broad system of handicap- in boys in the mere matter of games, and ping which has much to recommend it. In they may be mistaking the function of these tournaments a few of the best ama- games. One says this in deference to the teurs of the country continually appear, new views which have been developed in and thus they come to be regarded as only this country since the beginning of the war second in interest to the championships and at a period when it is being fiercely themselves; the players go from one to contended that nobody should do anything another, and a general interest is given to at all that, in one way or another, does not American amateur golf which makes it assist our prospects in the war, and that completely overshadow the professional never should anybody do anything that is thing, and brings on the young players at not very serious and associated with some a very rapid rate.

Load more